NBA Secondary Market Recap (March 9-15, 2015)

Fireworks ignited on the secondary market for the Friday night visit of The Los Angeles Clippers to the American Airlines Center, facing the Dallas Mavericks last weekend. VIP Floor Seats fetched an Average Resale Price (ARP) of $1,098 and suite tickets were nabbed at a $128 ARP each. Even the Upper Level sections caught fire with a $49 ARP per seat for a collective $104 ARP for the game overall.

The Market Cap Average (MCAP) for the game was $226,751.83 with a Median Listing Cap Average (LMC) of $275,263.75. The Baseline Average was $90,024.50 which was more than $7,000 above all other NBA games played that night. The Sale Against List (SAL) was at $48,511.92 which was lower than four of the eight other NBA games played March 13.

This was a historical moment for resellers, who capitalized on a $26 ARP differential than the last six meetings of the Clippers and Mavericks, dating back to Feb. 13, 2012. One of the lowest points for the secondary came in Feb. 9, 2015 when the Clippers vs. Mavericks fetched only $64 ARP for resellers respectively.

March 9, 2015: Grizzlies-Bulls Attack, Knicks-Nuggets Falter

The Memphis Grizzlies marched into the Chicago Bulls’ United Center, displaying a $83.17 ARP against a $140.25 Median Listing Price (MLP) with a $44.17 Get-In Average (GIP). This was the highest resale of the night, even though the Golden State Warriors game against the Phoenix Suns proved to be a desert delight, showcasing a secondary line of $75.50 ARP- $172.83 MLP – $35.17 GIP.

The Boston Celtics match-up against The Miami Heat sported a $70.33 ARP but couldn’t move the MLP average into triple digits. On the bottom end, The New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets contest was putrid with an 3,356 Inventory Average (SVG) over the 6-days leading up to the event, displaying a $26.83 ARP – $6.67 GIP.

The New Orleans Pelicans-Milwaukee Bucks had a higher ARP at $44.17, but still coughed up a $7.83 GIP. And for all of the tough talk of a great resale situation in the L.A. market for The Clippers, it didn’t happen against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where a disappointing $12.83 GIP against a $57.83 ARP saw a 3,077 SVG on the marketplace.

March 10, 2015: Cavs-Mavs Provide Shot In Resellers’ Arm

Despite being a Tuesday night, the NBA’s secondary saw some definitive tickets being moved for the Cavaliers-Mavericks’ game at the American Airlines Center. With 3,726 SVG offered up continuously on the marketplace, resellers were fetching a $199.83 ARP despite having an $153.83 MLP and a $74 GIP. At the 6-Days to Event (6DE), there were 5,001 listings with $179 ARP and a $141 MLP. By the 3-Day Midpoint (3DM), the market held a $181 ARP and a $132.50 MLP with 3,783 SVG listed. The game held a $655,286.50 MCAP over a $502,430 LMC which is one of the few times that brokers were selling extraordinary high margins in ticket volume.
The Pistons-Lakers game at Staples Center hit a resale line of $75.83 ARP – $83.33 MLP – $20.33 with a 3,471 SVG sitting on the marketplace. Only the New Orleans Pelicans-Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center adventure held a higher SVG average of 3,487-seats sitting on the market, sporting a $48 ARP – $63.42 MLP – $9 GIP for their trouble. The Magic-Pacers game had the lowest resale numbers of the night, showcasing a $3.17 GIP against a $22.17 ARP.

March 11, 2015 – Race To The Lowest Get-In Price

The Orlando Magic-Milwaukee Bucks offered up a $9 GIP, which would normally have been a floor to the entire secondary. But not on that Wednesday night, where a $6.50 GIP was shown for the Atlanta Hawks-Denver Nuggets game at the Pepsi Center. Despite having a resurgent Hawks team to market the contest, the game offered up a $31.83 ARP – $53.92 MLP with an average of 2,623 of inventory sitting on the marketplace.

While the Clippers-Thunder match-up at the Chesapeake Energy Arena skyrocketed to a $109.67 ARP – $170.92 MLP, it still gave away a $38 GIP to fans willing to buy. The Pistons-Warriors line: $98.83 ARP – $138.42 MLP – $52.83 GIP was one of the few surprises of the night for the NBA secondary. Only the Rockets-Trail Blazers game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter in Portland offered anything else of resale interest, a $78.67 ARP – $98.92 MLP but also a $30.67 GIP.

March 12, 2015 – Cavs-Spurs Delight, Bucks-Pacers Run For Cover

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ road show came through San Antonio, offering up a $224.83 ARP – $220.83 MLP – $102.67 to win the entire Thursday night while showcasing a $481,710.17 MCAP – $460,133.83 LMC – $211,105.83 BASE. With a 2,413 SVG sitting on the marketplace at any one time, resellers held steady with demand. There were 3,185 listings at the 6DE, where a $217 ARP – $182 MLP greeted early bird buyers. At the 3MD, tickets were moved at a $190 ARP – $208 MLP – $87 GIP on 2,250 listings available.

Somehow, The New York Knicks-L.A. Lakers contest also sparked some secondary interest, running up a line of $90.83 ARP – $117.42 MLP but with a $27 GIP off of 2,596 pieces of inventory listed on the marketplace.

None of this prevented some of the worst secondary news on the marketplace, where a $2.67 GIP for the Bucks-Pacers contest couldn’t hide behind a $21 ARP – $42.67 MLP line. The GIP was the lowest of the week of March 9-15, 2015 for the entire NBA secondary.

Four of the nine NBA games averaged an ARP above $100, which is amazing when looking at how it all broke down. The Miami Heat’s visit to the Air Canada Centre against The Toronto Raptors displayed a resellers’ dream line: $130.33 ARP – $168.58 MLP – $64.17 GIP – MCAP $171,792.67 with a 1,519 SVG sitting on the marketplace. Couple that with the Clippers-Mavericks game, covered at the beginning of this post, and you see where the resale market was headed.

The Bulls-Hornets game fetched a line of $110.83 ARP – $146.50 MLP – $51.83 GIP with a $140,627 MCAP – $181.757.67 LMC – $65,837.17 BASE. The Timberwolves-Thunder created some noise as well – $106.50 ARP – $227.42 MLP – $66.67 GIP with a 348 SVG, but a small MCAP of $32,864.17 offered up.

Though Steve Kerr apologized to Denver fans for resting his Warrior stars, the Nuggets didn’t do any favors on the secondary with a line of $77 ARP – $150.25 MLP – $34.17 GIP off 2,242 SVG. However, only the Sacramento Kings-Philadelphia 76ers contest was below $76 ARP, showcasing a line of $36.17 ARP – $45.50 MLP – $10.33 GIP with 1,579 SVG sitting on the marketplace at any one time.

March 14, 2015 – Golden State Reaps High Return At Home

The Golden State Warriors welcomed in the New York Knicks to the highest resale of the night – $141.50 ARP – $207.83 MLP – $78.83 with a 774 SVG available for average inventory listings. No NBA game had an ARP below $44 but the Pistons-Jazz and Nets-76ers contests both had putrid GIPs of $14.50 and $18.83 respectively.

March 15, 2015 – Cavs Make Magic, Nuggets Go Broke In New Orleans

The Cleveland Cavaliers boosted the Orlando Magic resale numbers for one night, coming in with a line of $148.50 ARP – $182.25 MLP – $72.17 GIP off 1,045 SVG with a $130,722.33 MCAP, suggesting that there wasn’t as much reseller action as primary sales were kept off the secondary market altogether. The Bulls-Thunder in Oklahoma City warranted the same concerns, though the line was great – $148 ARP – $297.50 MLP – $99.67 GIP, there was only a 507 SVG of listings.

The Houston-Clippers game did offer up a 1,770 SVG but ran a line of $131.83 ARP – $117.92 MLP – $43 GIP. The Trail Blazers visit to face The Toronto Raptors revealed a $103.67 ARP – $165.33 MLP – $60.33 GIP off 1,399 SVG of inventory. The Nuggets-Pelicans meeting in New Orleans was the only sour point of the secondary for the night, showcasing a $33.83 ARP – $16.33 GIP with 1,391 SVG.